Investor's Business Daily articles from March 2002

Investor's Business Daily archives from March 2002

RS Line Can Confirm Stock's Top.(A)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
March 28, 2002... Byline: JONAH KERI Monday's Corner showed how a stock's Relative Strength line can help you gauge its future success. Guess what? It works the other way too. A steadily rising RS line that sharply breaks its uptrend can foreshadow a...

Experts See A Strong Five Years For Defense Firms Amid Buildup Focus to be on high tech as gains in Afghanistan underscore advantages.(A)(INDUSTRY IN THE NEWS)
March 28, 2002... Byline: MARILYN ALVA When the Pentagon picked Lockheed last fall to develop and build the new Joint Strike Fighter, or F-35, rival Boeing got shot down. But not for long. This month, the Army chose Boeing as the prime contractor,...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
March 28, 2002... Suicide Bomber Kills 16 In Israel 1The bomber blew himself up in a hotel dining room in the Israeli coastal resort of Netanya as guests gathered for a Passover Seder. Police said more than 100 were wounded. An adviser to Prime Minister...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
March 28, 2002... JUNIPER NETWORKS cut its Q1 sales goal, citing weak customer spending. The router firm sees Q1 profit just over break-even vs. forecasts of 2 cents. PHILIP MORRIS named Dinyar Devitre CFO in an expected shakeup. He'll replace Louis...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
March 28, 2002... MEDICAL Renagel off, Genzyme clips target Genzyme General cut Q1 views by about 10 cents to 21-23 cents a share. It'll trim wholesale inventory on Renagel, its key kidney drug, to six weeks' worth from 12 weeks. It expects to make up...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
March 28, 2002... AEROSPACE/DEFENSE Boeing in race for S. Korea deal South Korea will push ahead with a controversial $4 bil fighter jet order despite talks with North Korea set for next week. It'll choose between Boeing's F15K and the Rafale from...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
March 28, 2002... ACCOUNTING Andersen to name CEO Thursday The embattled accounting firm will name a replacement for Joseph Berardino in London, sources said. In the last week, Andersen named Chicago partner Larry Gorrell as head of a new board to...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
March 28, 2002... MEDIA Adelphia crashes on debt worries Adelphia Communications had strong Q4 revenue and boosted digital cable subscriber growth forecasts. But the cable TV firm's $2.3 bil in off-balance-sheet debt worried investors. Its shares...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
March 28, 2002... Consumer Comfort index turns up The ABC News/Money Magazine consumer comfort index rose to 1 in the March 24 week, the first positive read since early Oct. It was -4 the prior week. Views on the state of the economy, personal finances and...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
March 28, 2002... Napster delayed its Q1 relaunch, saying it's taking more time to reach deals with big music labels. Computer Associates, the subject of two U.S. accounting probes, named Walter Schuetze, former SEC chief accountant, to its board. NTT...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
March 28, 2002... U.S. names 3 more terror groups The U.S. moved to block the assets of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a Palestinian militia linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The move by Treasury came shortly after Secretary of State Colin Powell...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
March 28, 2002... Americans in Italy told to be wary Americans could be targeted by extremists in four cities on Easter Sunday, the U.S. warned. The State Department said a "possible threat exists to U.S. citizens in the cities of Venice, Florence, Milan...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
March 28, 2002... Web sites gather less private data Internet sites seem to be collecting less personal data from consumers and doing a slightly better job explaining how Web sites use such data, the Progress and Freedom Foundation said. "Firms are...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
March 28, 2002... Anthrax vaccinations given to women in the military had no impact on their ability to get pregnant or on their babies, the Madigan Army Medical Center said. Using a mathematical model, French researchers estimate fewer than 600 people in...

COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE EFFECTIVELY Make Your Goals Theirs.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
March 28, 2002... Byline: Cord Cooper 9 As a manager, you can order team members to do a task and get so-so results -- or you can sell them on a goal and watch the results go through the roof. Below are a few tips to promote team member buy-in. ...

Greeley At A Glance.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
March 28, 2002... Greeley At A Glance Born: 1811 in Amherst, N.H. Died: 1872 in New York City. Education: Dropped out of school at 14. Achievements: Founded the New Yorker literary journal in 1834. Founded the New York Tribune in...

Editor Inspired The Nation Power Of Words: Horace Greeley's dedication helped him publish his dreams.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
March 28, 2002... Byline: KATHRYN LINDERMAN Horace Greeley loved words. But his parents were poor, and Greeley couldn't spend much time in school. His schooling ended when he was 14. How was he to get anywhere in the world without an education? If he...

Big Carriers Team With Wi-Fi Upstarts Potential Rivals Join Up Wi-Fi networks could let wireless carriers provide host of new data services.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
March 28, 2002... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE It could be a match made in wireless heaven -- big carriers teaming with small start-ups that provide Internet access at airports, hotels and coffee shops. The start-ups use a wireless standard called Wi-Fi,...

New Study On Dangers Of Car Phones Could Mount Pressure On Wireless Industry Calling's Worse Than Drinking Research by British insurer says hands-free features don't make phones safe.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
March 28, 2002... Byline: SARAH Z. SLEEPER Talking on a cell phone while driving is more dangerous than driving while drunk. That's the startling finding of a study released last week by Direct Line Group, Britain's largest private auto insurance...

Major League Baseball Looks To Hit Home Run With New Net Services Packaging Video Highlights The Internet's as important to baseball as TV or radio, major league officials say.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
March 28, 2002... Byline: PETE BARLAS Major League Baseball looks to turn the Internet into a contact sport -- by reaching out to fans online. As they open the 2002 season, baseball team owners will sell more paid subscription video and audio services...

Verizon Wireless Changes Tactics To Pick Up More Data Customers.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(Q & A)
March 28, 2002... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE When the nation's biggest wireless phone company, Verizon Wireless, changes its marketing tactics, rivals pay attention. Take wireless data services. This month, Verizon unveiled a new data pricing plan for...

NEW-ISSUE PIPELINE Outsourcing Trend Has This Firm Feeling Bullish.(THE NEW AMERICA)
March 28, 2002... Byline: AMY REEVES MedSource Technologies Inc. Minneapolis, Minnesota 1-800-726-0260 medsourcetech.com Lead underwriters: Morgan Stanley Offering price: $15-$17 Expected date: week of March 25 Ticker:...

UCBH HOLDINGS INC. San Francisco, California A Pan-Pacific Strategy That Gets Big Returns Bank Focuses On China Loyal, fast-growth client base helps keep business strong in any economy.(THE NEW AMERICA)
March 28, 2002... Byline: AMY REEVES There's no shortage of companies seeking a fortune in China. But UCBH Holdings Inc. has a better chance than most of finding it. That's because UCBH, the holding company for United Commercial Bank, has deep...

OXFORD HEALTH PLANS INC. Trumbull, Connecticut Even In A Tough Market, HMO Stays Healthy.(THE NEW AMERICA)
March 28, 2002... Byline: STEVE WATKINS New York's economy is sputtering. Its reliance on finance and technology -- two sectors that have been hit hard by the current recession -- did enough damage. Then came Sept. 11, which dealt the Big Apple an...

KEY FUND HOLDINGS.(MUTUAL FUNDS)
March 28, 2002... Key Fund Holdings / Aztar was a top holding of Gabelli Small Cap Growth Fund in its latest reporting period. Earnings rose 25% and 175% the past two quarters. Wall Street sees net up 6% next year. Shares are trading in a base that began March...

Stock Fund Inflow Slowed Last Month Rebound Seen In March U.S. stock funds took in $7.58 bil in Feb., while bond funds got $10.67 bil.(MUTUAL FUNDS)
March 28, 2002... Byline: DAN MOREAU Investors slowed their purchases of stock funds in February amid a mixed market. But they stepped on the accelerator this month as major indexes rallied, then faded. Net inflow to stock funds slowed to $4.69...

No Reason To Cheer.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
March 28, 2002... Social Security: The 2002 trustees' report extends the expected solvency of the government's retirement program. But it isn't good news. By one whole year more, the Social Security system will take in more money than it spends -- from...

Responsible Ruling.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
March 28, 2002... Accountability: Public housing tenants can be evicted for their kin's drug use, says the Supreme Court. The ruling may be one to remember. In an 8-0 ruling, with Justice Stephen Breyer abstaining, the court upheld the Clinton era policy...

FACT BOX.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)
March 28, 2002... ON THIS DAY: In 1834, the Senate voted to censure President Andrew Jackson for abusing his authority in trying to close the Second Bank of the U.S. -- the equivalent of today's Fed. In 1939, the Spanish Civil War ended when Madrid...

LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)
March 28, 2002... OK To Look Other Way? In "A Moral Compass Off-Kilter?" (National Issue, March 22) accompanying your poll on Americans' faith in our moral direction, ethicist Michael Josephson made this observation on the reaction to the Enron scandal:...

Adding Ethanol To Gasoline: Costs Are High, Benefits Few.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(NATIONAL ISSUE)
March 28, 2002... Byline: DAVID ISAAC If the Daschle-Bingaman energy bill were a one-armed bandit, the ethanol industry just pulled down three sevens. If passed, the bill would triple the amount of the fuel additive we must use, give it liability...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Dow, S&P Inch Up; Volume Stays Light.(MAKING MONEY)
March 28, 2002... Byline: JONAH KERI NYSE stocks traced a similar pattern to Tuesday's action, giving back gains late Wednesday for a modest advance. The Dow added 0.7%, the S&P 500 0.5%. Volume eased slightly, again closing well below average ahead of...

AutoZone Hoping To Zoom Out Of Its Base.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
March 28, 2002... Byline: Jonah Keri Capping a huge 9 1/2-month run, AutoZone gapped up 16% Dec. 5 to a new high just below 80. It's corrected into a fresh base since then, though it's held well above its 200-day moving average, a sign of support. It's...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Spins Its Wheels, But Retail, Software Up.(B)
March 28, 2002... Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG The Nasdaq traded in a narrow range Wednesday, ending up less than 0.2%. Volume sank. Christopher & Banks rolled up 1.53 to 33.38 on above-average trade. The stock is featured in today's Nasdaq Stocks In The...

Direct Focus Pumps Up Solid Growth.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
March 28, 2002... Byline: Julie Huynh Direct Focus has formed an eight-week base and lies just 6% off its January peak. The firm markets Bowflex, Nautilus, StairMaster and Schwinn fitness equipment. It also dipped its toe into the mattress business by...

Web Site Teaches You The Ropes.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(INVESTORS.COM CORNER)
March 28, 2002... The Internet stock bubble taught many investors a costly lesson: Companies with no hint of profit usually turn out to be a losing proposition. But others relied on buying rules grounded on decades of market research. That research,...

Fundamentals Help Filter Flawed Charts.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(IBD INVESTOR PROFILE)
March 28, 2002... Byline: CLAIRE MENCKE John Morrison is a longtime techie. He's a retired software engineering manager who majored in math in school. So it's no surprise that when he started investing in the late 1960s, he soon was drawn to charts. ...

Great Companies Sport Rapid Inventory Turns.(A)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
March 27, 2002... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE These days, businesses are putting off buying that new phone system, consumers that new PC. Other industries, though, are seeing a pickup. Whatever the case, as you look for leading stocks it helps to find out...

Durables Orders Rise, Confidence Soars As Upturn Signs Broaden Is Rate Hike Fever Cooling? Fed officials in no hurry to tighten up as factories show lingering weakness.(A)
March 27, 2002... Byline: IBD STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket goods rose for the third straight month and consumer confidence surged, more evidence the recession is over. The Commerce Department reported orders for...

The Gift That Keeps On Giving: Huge Rise In Bequests Forecast Up To $17.5 Tril Seen.(A)
March 27, 2002... Byline: STEVE WATKINS You've made your millions, you're kicking back in retirement and looking to pass on your fortune to someone other than Uncle Sam. You're not alone. Americans could bequeath up to $17.5 trillion in the next 20...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
March 27, 2002... Durables Post Third Straight Rise 1Feb. durable goods orders rose 1.5%, another sign factories turned the corner. Defense orders soared 78.6%. Nondefense capital goods, or business investment, rose 4.9% after slumping throughout the...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
March 27, 2002... ARTHUR ANDERSEN CEO Joseph Berardino quit. UNITED AIR will take a charge of $45 mil-$55 mil in Q1 for closing its Avolar business jet unit. MANUGISTICS lost 2 cents in Q4 vs. views for a 6-cent loss. It netted 5 cents in Q4 '01....

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
March 27, 2002... INTERNET Travelocity will buy Site59.com; Hotel Reservations crashes 13% Travelocity will buy Site59, which specializes in last-minute air, hotel and rental car deals, for $43 mil cash. Travelocity said the move expands its...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
March 27, 2002... TRANSPORTATION Auto parts firms run smoothly Vehicle parts maker Dura Automotive sees 58-62 cents a share in Q1 vs. views of 42 cents. Dura jumped 3.57, or 24%, to 18.50. Dana Corp. expects to earn 15-17 cents in Q1 vs. forecasts for...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
March 27, 2002... TELECOM WorldCom dives on bearish UBS MCI, WorldCom's consumer long-distance tracking stock, dived 1.83, or 23%, to 6.30. UBS Warburg's John Hodulik said a dividend cut or folding the tracking stock back into WorldCom is possible....

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
March 27, 2002... ACCOUNTING Ex-Waste Management CEO sued The SEC sued Waste Management founder and ex-CEO Dean Buntrock and five other ex-executives, accusing them of "massive" fraud to inflate profit by $1.7 bil to meet 1992-97 targets. The civil...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
March 27, 2002... ISI weekly index declines slightly The International Strategy & Investment activity index dipped to 42.3 in the March 22 week from 42.6 the week before. Tech and retailers hurt the index; trucking and home-building helped. But the trend...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
March 27, 2002... Northrop Grumman will raise its bid for TRW if warranted, but only after eyeing the defense and auto parts firm's books. TRW has rejected the defense giant's advances. Dollar General, a specialty discount chain, backed full-year EPS...

NATION.(A)
March 27, 2002... Bush makes health nominations President Bush selected an Arizona trauma surgeon and sheriff's deputy to be surgeon general. He chose a top administrator at Johns Hopkins University to lead the National Institutes of Health. The Senate...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
March 27, 2002... Al-Qaida honcho sighted: Afghans U.S. planes are hunting for al-Qaida and Taliban fighters after Afghan commanders said they saw al-Qaida's No. 2. Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahri reportedly was on horseback with three senior clerics and 26...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
March 27, 2002... Prozac, cancer threat linked in lab Prozac and related drugs may pose a threat by blocking the body's ability to kill tumor cells, University of Birmingham scientists said. But they said patients should keep taking their drugs since...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(THE SMART INVESTOR)
March 27, 2002... Using cell phones may, in a social sense, be as addictive as more harmful habits like smoking, a U.K. study said. Certain types of intestinal bacteria were linked to the development of rheumatoid arthritis, Turku University in Finland...

DON'T BE AFRAID TO INNOVATE Offbeat Marketing Sells.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
March 27, 2002... Byline: Robin Grugal 8 Relying on the yellow pages and boring neighborhood mailers to get noticed? Consider doing something clever, even wacky, to attract attention. It doesn't take a big budget to make a big impression. "Madcap...

Merrill At A Glance.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
March 27, 2002... Merrill At A Glance Born: 1885 in Green Cove Springs, Fla. Died: 1956 in Southampton, N.Y. Education: Attended Amherst College for two years. Achievements: Founded Charles Merrill & Co., which grew into the present-day...

He Made People His Priority Create Your Market: Charles E. Merrill cornered the small-investment market.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
March 27, 2002... Byline: CURT SCHLEIER When Charles E. Merrill entered the brokerage business in 1909, large investors were king. Small investors were largely ignored. Merrill felt that was at best a silly approach to business. "Having thousands...

Stay Focused On Firm's Future When Planning An Acquisition Plan ahead so buyer and seller can start working together immediately.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(MANAGING A SUCCESSFUL COMPANY)
March 27, 2002... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN Tom Taulli can't imagine walking into a Sears, Roebuck & Co. store to get help on planning his retirement. "It just wouldn't seem right," said the Newport Beach, Calif., resident with a laugh. "When I go into a...

TECHBITS.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
March 27, 2002... Byline: Doug Tsuruoka and Patrick Seitz Hotwire CEO Sees Shakeout Karl Peterson, CEO of online travel agent Hotwire, says a shakeout's looming following a move by big airlines to drop the base commissions they pay travel agents. ...

Net Brokerages On Different Paths One Thrived, One Dived Even amid a downturn, ShareBuilder's grown, thanks to different tack.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
March 27, 2002... Byline: JED GRAHAM Could there have been a worse time to launch an online brokerage than late 1999? A few months later, the bursting of the Nasdaq bubble would force online investors to the sidelines in a dispiriting 18-month...

By Opening Up Java, Sun Gets More Ammo For War On Microsoft.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
March 27, 2002... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN Scott McNealy is launching another assault on his archenemy, Microsoft Corp.'s Bill Gates. The chairman of Sun Microsystems Inc. Tuesday announced plans to open up development of its Java programming language....

The Latest Twist For Network Associates: SEC Accounting Inquiry Sends Share Price Down 11% Investigation into 2000 revenue comes as firm is trying to buy McAfee.com.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
March 27, 2002... Byline: DONNA HOWELL The harsh spotlight of a Securities and Exchange Commission probe is newly glaring on Network Associates Inc. It lopped 11% from the Santa Clara, Calif., computer security firm's stock Tuesday. In a doozy of a...

Nvidia Sees No Slowdown For Accounting Probe SEC Looks At Internal E-mails Chipmaker expects sales in '02 to hit $2 bil, says marketing vice president.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(Q & A)
March 27, 2002... Byline: JAMES DETAR Graphics chipmaker Nvidia Corp. was one of the best-performing tech stocks of 2001, when its share price traveled from about 18 to 67. The company's graphics chips are in most new PCs. And Microsoft Corp. picked...

MERITAGE CORP. Scottsdale, Arizona Size Has Its Perks In A Sector Where Capital Is King.(THE NEW AMERICA)
March 27, 2002... Byline: ADELIA CELLINI LINECKER What's that old cliche: It takes money to make money? That's especially true in the home building industry. Large, publicly traded firms with access to cheap capital have a much easier go of it than...

ACTIVISION INC. Santa Monica, California Spider-Man Franchise Fights Evil Recession.(THE NEW AMERICA)
March 27, 2002... Byline: AMY REEVES Comic-book fans have spent years waiting for the new Spider-Man movie to hit theaters. It'll finally come out this spring -- not a moment too soon for Activision Inc. The video game maker plans to launch five games...

99 CENTS ONLY STORES City of Commerce, California In This Kind Of Business, It Pays To Be Thrifty Discounter Bucks Convention Focus on consumable items and efficiency helps it pound out steady financial growth.(THE NEW AMERICA)
March 27, 2002... Byline: MARILYN MUCH Eric Schiffer wastes no time hunting down a bargain. As president of discount retailer 99 Cents Only Stores, it's part of his job to broker deals with vendors and realtors and pass on the savings to customers at...

Corporate Debt: Bond Fund Engine? Large Offerings An Issue Economic rebound may give credit ratings a lift after record downgrades.(MUTUAL FUNDS)
March 27, 2002... Byline: CLAIRE MENCKE U.S. government and emerging-market bonds have had extended run-ups over the past year. But the Federal Reserve's shift to a neutral stance could put government bonds, at least, in the back seat. So where do...

How Smart Is It?(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
March 27, 2002... Smart Growth: Tight state budgets may reduce funding for anti-sprawl efforts, and that has some fretting. Not us. At risk is money for governments to buy open space (in some parts, that might be called a land grab). So are incentive...

Freedom's Voice.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
March 27, 2002... Liberty: With Margaret Thatcher's departure from public life, who now will take up the cause of freedom she so eloquently championed? Nothing short of her own ebbing health has been able to silence the "Iron Lady" of Britain. A fiery...

LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)
March 27, 2002... Foreign Aid: Paid In Steel "A Free Lunch" (Editorial, March 22) offers a view concerning increasing aid to needy countries. Recently there was an opinion on the Issues & Insights page concerning President Bush's recent decision to slap a...

For Animal Rights Activists, Food Industry Is Juicy Target.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(NATIONAL ISSUE)
March 27, 2002... Byline: SEAN HIGGINS Maybe you've seen People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' latest ad campaign. It features a photo of "NYPD Blue" star Charlotte Ross, naked and holding a rabbit. "I'd rather show my buns than wear fur!" she...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE NYSE Stocks Hold Up, Rise On Volume.(MAKING MONEY)
March 27, 2002... Byline: JONAH KERI NYSE stocks stemmed a late-day swoon Tuesday to close with gains on higher volume. The Dow added 0.7%, the big-cap S&P 500 0.6%. NYSE winners trounced losers by more than 3-2. Strong consumer confidence numbers...

Global Payments Inc. Nearing Top Of Base.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
March 27, 2002... Byline: JONAH KERI Global Payments went public in February 2001. The stock ran up to a high of 37.30 in August that year, then turned tail, bottoming near 22 after the Sept. 11 attack. The stock made its way back, surging above a long...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Medical, DVD, School Shares Give Nasdaq A Lift.(B)
March 27, 2002... Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG The Nasdaq composite rebounded about 0.7% on heavier trade Tuesday, but surrendered a big chunk of its gains. Medicals did well. Clinical drug testing outsourcer SFBC International climbed 1.41 to 25.60 on...

Chipmaker Enjoying Fast Growth In DVDs.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
March 27, 2002... Byline: JULIE HUYNH Zoran charged to a 52-week high on Tuesday. The firm makes the chips that decompress digital information in DVD players made by companies such as Toshiba, Sanyo and Sharp. After making high-end chips mostly...

Flat Bases Can Yield Fat Profits.(A)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
March 26, 2002... Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG In the cup with handle or double bottom, success of the breakout depends on the way a stock rises and falls within the base. A third pattern shows that a stock can choose to take neither path before its big...

Home Buyers, Unfazed By Hot Prices, Step Up At A Quick Clip In Feb. 2nd Best Sales Month Ever Despite 8.2% yearly rise in prices, existing homes ease just 2.8% from Jan.(A)
March 26, 2002... Byline: DONALD H. GOLD Existing-home sales maintained their white-hot pace last month, defying analysts' predictions of a steep drop from January's record tally. Sales dipped 2.8% to an annual rate of 5.88 million units, the...

Ad Spending Poised To Recover, But Some Media Will Get More November vote to help local TV, radio; papers, magazines look iffier.(A)(INDUSTRY IN THE NEWS)
March 26, 2002... Byline: ADELIA CELLINI LINECKER Madison Avenue is showing signs of life again. After an abysmal 2001, ad spending is on the mend. Analysts won't go out on a limb and call it a recovery yet. But many say the bleeding has stopped. ...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
March 26, 2002... Existing-Home Sales Dip, Still Hot 1Sales fell 2.8% in Feb. to an annual rate of 5.88 mil units, the second-best month ever after Jan.'s record. Credit low rates, weather and confident consumers. The forecast was for 5.51 mil. Experts...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
March 26, 2002... A PUBLIC INTEREST LAW FIRM sued the FCC after it ruled that cable modem Internet access is an information service not subject to local cable franchise fees. EARTHLINK appealed that same FCC ruling, which leaves cable-modem service...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
March 26, 2002... FINANCE ABN Amro to shut U.S. equity ops The Dutch bank will close its loss-making U.S. equities and corporate finance business after struggling to compete with larger U.S. rivals. The move will lead to 550 job cuts and cost $180...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
March 26, 2002... CONSUMER Pepsi ousts Coke in United deal Pepsi won a multiyear contract with United Airlines, ending a long-standing deal between the carrier and Pepsi's larger rival, Coca-Cola. The high-profile pact makes Pepsi the only cola drink...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
March 26, 2002... INTERNET Sun adds mobile Net service tools At its Java conference, Sun Micro unveiled Web services tools to create programs to let mobile workers access sales, inventory or other key company data. In the budding Web services field,...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
March 26, 2002... MEDIA AOL Time Warner takes Q1 charge The $54 bil impaired goodwill charge will mostly reflect AOL's falling market cap since its $181 bil merger with Time Warner. AOL had said the charge would be $40 bil-$60 bil. The charge will...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
March 26, 2002... California's home market sizzles Existing-home sales in the Golden State leapt a record 25.5% in March from a year ago, says the California Association of Realtors. Prices soared 19.8%. Both gauges left the nation in the dust. "Three to...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
March 26, 2002... Power firm Cleco will buy out Mirant's stake in a Louisiana power plant for $68 mil, taking full control of the 725-megawatt facility. The FCC dismissed complaints against Walt Disney's ABC network broadcast of a fashion show featuring...